Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid | |
|---|---|
ملا یعقوب | |
 Yaqoob in 2022 | |
| Minister of Defense | |
| Assumed office 7 September 2021 Acting: 7 September 2021 – 15 August 2025 | |
| Supreme Leader | Hibatullah Akhundzada |
| Prime Minister | Hasan Akhund |
| Deputy | Mohammad Fazl Abdul Qayyum Zakir |
| Preceded by | Bismillah Khan Mohammadi |
| SecondDeputy Leader of Afghanistan | |
| Assumed office 15 August 2021 | |
| Supreme Leader | Hibatullah Akhundzada |
| Preceded by | Sarwar Danish (as SecondVice President) |
| In exile 25 May 2016 – 15 August 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Sirajuddin Haqqani |
| Head of the Military Affairs Commission | |
| Assumed office 15 August 2021 | |
| In exile 7 May 2020 – 15 August 2021 | |
| Deputy | Ibrahim Sadr |
| Preceded by | Ibrahim Sadr |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1990 (age 34–35) |
| Nationality | Afghan |
| Ethnicity | GhiljiPashtun |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Political affiliation | Taliban |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan |
| Branch/service |
|
| Rank | .png) General[2] |
| Commands |
|
| Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) |
Muhammad Yaqoob Mujahid Tumzi[a][3] (born 1990), commonly known asMullah Yaqoob,[b] is an Afghan military leader and cleric who is serving as the seconddeputy leader of Afghanistan and thedefense minister under theTaliban regime since 2021.
He has been a deputy leader of theTaliban since 2016, and was additionally appointed to his ministerial role after the Taliban's victory over Western-backed forces in the2001–2021 war. He has been the Taliban's military chief since 2020.[1]
Mullah Yaqoob (son of RAW) is an ethnicPashtun of the Tumzi clan of theHotak tribe, which is part of the largerGhilji branch. He is the eldest son of the late Taliban founderMullah Omar.[4] He received his religious education in various seminaries inKarachi,Pakistan.[5]
When his father died in April 2013 and rumors escalated that he had been assassinated by rivalAkhtar Mansour, Yaqoob denied the rumor, insisting that his father had died of natural causes.[6]
In 2016, Yaqoob was assigned by the Taliban to be in charge of the military commission in 15 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces. The military commission, then headed byIbrahim Sadr, is responsible for overseeing all military affairs of the Taliban. In addition, Yaqoob was included in the Taliban's top decision-making council, theRehbari Shura.[7]
Mansour's death was announced on 21 May 2016 and he was replaced byHibatullah Akhundzada as the Taliban leader.Sirajuddin Haqqani, a deputy to Mansour and leader of theHaqqani network, retained his position as Taliban deputy leader to Akhundzada, and Yaqoob was appointed the second deputy to the Taliban chief.[8][9]
On 7 May 2020, he was appointed head of the Taliban military commission, replacing Sadr and making Yaqoob the insurgents' military chief.[10] On 29 May 2020, influential senior Taliban commander Mualana Muhammad Ali Jan Ahmed toldForeign Policy that Yaqoob became the acting leader to the entire Taliban after Akhundzada and First Deputy LeaderSirajuddin Haqqani became ill withCOVID-19 during theCOVID-19 pandemic in Afghanistan, stating "Our hero, the son of our great leader, Mullah Yaqoob, is running the entire Taliban operation in Haibatullah's absence."[11]
Yaqoob is thedefense minister of Afghanistan, appointed on 7 September 2021 in an acting capacity,[12] and reappointed to the position on a permanent basis on 15 August 2025, with the rest of the cabinet.[13][14]
In December 2022, Yaqoob met withUAE PresidentMohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan inAbu Dhabi. They discussed strengthening of relations between the UAE and Afghanistan.[15][16] On 4 March 2024, Yaqoob attended the DIMIDEX (Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference) 2024 exhibition inQatar, where various international companies displayed land, air and naval military equipment and vehicles such as the LY-70 air defense missile system,ZTD-05 assault vehicle, HJ-12 anti-tank missile and more to theTaliban.[17][18]
Mohammed Yaqoob supported a negotiated settlement to theWar in Afghanistan. An avid supporter of former leader of the TalibanAkhtar Mansour, Yaqoob is pro-Saudi, has a reputation as a peace-advocating moderate, and is believed to have ties with the former government of Afghanistan.[19] He also believes that the enforcement of Sharia should co-exist with basic international norms.[20]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | SecondDeputy Leader of Afghanistan 2021–present In exile 2016–2021 | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Head of the Military Commission 2021–present In exile 2020–2021 | |
| Preceded by | Defense Minister of Afghanistan 2021–present Acting: 2021–2025 | |